Ev180 overkill on a 30gal? also sump construction Questions!

Wrassemeister

Wrassemeister

New member
Well, I have a 30 gal flat back hex stand that I will soon be buying a tank for and I was in the process of designing a sump for it. I have two options for the filtration...

1. Use the sump as a refugium with a remora (mag 3) skimmer hanging on the left side of it, a phosban reactor hanging on the right side and a mag 7 return pump.

2. Use an ev180 skimmer with baffles and a mag 7 return (no room for a fuge left) and a phosban reactor on the right side.

I constructed a cardboard mock up of the sump I plan to build (22"x9.5"x13" (approx 11.5 gal)) out of 1/4" acrylic to see how everything would work out. as you can see in the pics, I have very little room to work with.
I would like to hear your opinions on this and any suggestions on where to purchase the acrylic (must it be cell cast?) and glue for the sump.

Here are a few pics for reference:
Stand:
DSC00702.jpg

Top-down view:
DSC00706.jpg

Left side:
DSC00703.jpg

Right side:
DSC00705.jpg
 
That EV goes for $340 new without the pump! Sell it! Get your self a good ASM or smaller EV and use the left over cash for.........BEER! I have done soooooooo many things in "over kill mode" and it either did harm to my system or I just pee'd cash away.
 
i'd keep the skimmer. it's a good skimmer and you probably wont get enough $$ by selling it to afford a nice skimmer. the smaller aqua c's i am not a fan of. ASM are horrible, yes I said horrible, out of the box and need lots of mods. the only thing i trade that in for is a nice NW. deltec, h&s, DAS, ATI etc...

I am planning on getting the BM160 looks awsome with the integrated gate valve.
 
I agree with flint&eric.

I would keep it. You can put it on a timer to turn it off for a few hours everyday during feedings. Since it's so big, it can catch up with the skimming when it comes back on. Another nice thing is that if you decide to get a bigger tank or add another smaller one into the system, you have enough of a skimmer to handle it.
 
Will a Mag 7 drive the EV180? Sounds like too small a pump to me.

Edit: I just looked on their website and that is the recommended pump size. It just seems too small.
 
I like the timer idea but Is turning on and off a mag drive pump several times a day ok for it?
Kimoy, do you notice a large improvement in skimming with the larger pump?
Also do you guys think having the ev180 in the sump would be better than having a refugium? .... I guess I can hook up an outside nano cube as a fuge in the future.
 
I think you should turn it sideways in that box, put some popcorn in it and send it to me Priority. I should have it by Thursday. I will take good care of it. I will send you my modded Prizm that works awesome on a 30g with 20 sump.
 
i really don't know if there are any difference because i used 2 types of pumps and they are both about the same GPH. i first used an iwaki 55rt then a mag12 they both are giving out an excellent skimmate. just a note, i feed my tank generously, i mean really generous, 4 cubes of mysis, 4 cubes of spirulina, a big chunk of rod's every 2-3 days. and still manage to keep all my water parameters at a level.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9857382#post9857382 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wrassemeister
I like the timer idea but Is turning on and off a mag drive pump several times a day ok for it?
Click to expand...

My kalk reactor uses a mag 3. It gets turned on for one minute, every ninety minutes.
 
The 180 is way too much. Way too much. You will over skim your tank.

Becareful of the sump size. You may want to take it in and out of the stand to for cleaning. Just don't make it too big.

You could go with a smaller ASM but you would still be wasting money on an inferior product made with limited workmanship. Or you could spend a lot of money on a Euroreef. High $$$ great performance. Or you could go in between and get an Octopus Skimmer. Better quality than the ASM and better performance. Lower price. Just ask Rod.

Do check them out - they are very similar except the Octopus is better made than the ASM and less money.

The thing to consider for you is the footprint in your sump. The Euroreef styles have a larger footprint but make less noise and generally use less electricity. Given that I have an Octopus I do suggest that style.


Good luck.
 
i dont think you will overskim your tank, especially if you have the pump on a timer. it will allow you to feed all you want and not have to worry. pappone additions would be right up your alley.

as for octos, IMO they are better than ASM's but not by much. the octo pumps are better than the sedras and the collection cup is a better design.
 
Eric, I would only qualify that to point out that my Octopus OTP-3000 pump wasn't very good out of the box (5 lpm). I had to do a fair bit of modding and experimentation to get it to pull 14-15 lpm.
 
oh i agree, but there is more potential from the octo's then sedras. IMO sedras are the worst NW pump out there. maybe those new aqua euros will take that cake, i dont know though havent used one.
 
I have heard reports of people getting 21+ lpm from the OTP by doing a case mod. Which is pretty amazing for a $60 pump

My G4+/OTP3000 combo has gone from making a medium-dark green tea, to a stout toxic sludge over the past week and a half without my making any adjustments. I think it is breaking in very nicely.
 
I was just looking at the pics Wrassmeister posted again. Can the EV180 sit in the bottom of the sump or does it need to be elevated?
 
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